View full sizeMolly Hottle/The OregonianDevelopers have broken ground on a lot, located immediately to the east of Northwest 23rd Avenue, where an apartment complex will be built. The construction is part of a large redevelopment plan being formed by Con-way Inc., and the Northwest District Association.

Con-way Inc. is proceeding with at redevelopment plan four years in the making that would turn its quiet, 15-acre Northwest Portland property into a bustling destination likened to the Pearl District.

The plan aims to bring housing, retail, offices, a grocery store and a streetcar extension to the Northwest District lot.

Ground has been broken for a 170-unit apartment complex, and neighborhood leaders estimate the project could get into full swing sometime this year. And Con-way officials said they are making progress on having the plan approved by the city.

“It’ll really add a lot of vibrancy to the north end of 23rd (Avenue),” said Craig Boretz, vice president of corporate development for Con-way.

Work on the plan began in 2008, when Con-way introduced the redevelopment idea. Not long after, the sour economy forced the trucking company to table it. Then, in late 2010, it picked it up again, and the current plan has retained many of the original ideas.

The area to be redeveloped is roughly bounded by Northwest Thurman Avenue to the north, 22nd Avenue to the west, Pettygrove to the south and zig-zags from 20th Avenue to 19th Avenue on the eastern side.

The development would primarily include apartment buildings with retail ground floors and space for offices and commercial business. Boretz said Con-way, which has been in the neighborhood for 80 years, is creating the plan so it can be involved in what is built on and around its property.

“We have an interest in making sure what gets built around us is kind of compatible,” he said. “We want to have some say.”

Getting the details

The Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit that provides land use support, is holding a public meeting to share details about Con-way's redevelopment plan. Representatives from the Northwest District Association, Con-way, GBD Architects and Mill Creek Residential Trust will hold a presentation and be on hand to answer questions.

When: 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 1

Where: Lucky Lab Beer Hall, 1945 N.W. Quimby St. in the Northwest District

The plan would dictate to developers what they can and cannot do, including height restrictions and what construction materials are allowed. Officials want the buildings to be LEED-certified, as well.

In addition, Con-way hopes to entice the Portland Streetcar into extending service to the new district, as well. The plan calls for underground parking for buildings that go up in the area, which would help alleviate parking congestion in a neighborhood already fraught with space issues.

“For the existing neighborhood it’s hard to find off-street parking, but over there, it’s basically a blank slate,” said Ron Walters, president of the Northwest District Association, a neighborhood coalition.

Walters said the association has been involved in the process from the beginning, and five representatives from the NWDA met almost weekly with Con-way throughout 2011 to discuss the plan.

“While we don’t agree on everything, there’s a high degree of collaboration early on,” Walters said. “I think there will be less contentious issues when it comes to building a building.”

Even though the Con-way’s plan isn’t finalized, one developer has purchased two parking lots and broken ground on Northwest Savier Street for the 170-unit apartment complex with retail space planned for the bottom floor. Another developer has committed to another property with the intention of opening a grocery store in a vacant warehouse.

Meanwhile, the redevelopment plan is undergoing a series of design advice requests, which allows Portland’s Design Committee to give feedback to Con-way and GBD Architects, the architectural firm working on the project.

“Ultimately, we hope to have something that would be approved by the hearings officer and City Council,” Boretz said. “Once we have the master plan in place, we can explain to developers what we have.” 